"Eight on the 7th" event to reunite Purple Heart medals with families of Fallen Heroes
By Zachariah Fike
Founder, Purple Hearts Reunited
At 5:00 p.m. on 07 August 2017, National Purple Heart Day, the non-profit foundation Purple Hearts Reunited will reunite eight families with their lost Purple Heart Medals, including the family of one soldier from World War I.
Themed as “Eight on the Seventh” (a tie into 8-7-17), this day will honor families who represent our nation’s heroes from World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the War on Terror.
PVT Frank L. Dunnell, Jr., USAThe event will take place at Federal Hall, located at 26 Wall Street, New York City, New York. This is the same historical location that the founding father of the Purple Heart, President George Washington, swore in as our first President on April 30, 1789.
This ceremony is open to the public.
When servicemen and woman are wounded or sacrifice their life at times of War, our country awards them or their family with a prestigious award in the form of the Purple Heart. As times pass, certain circumstances can lead to these medals being misplaced, lost, or even stolen. Below is a short description of the eight medals being returned in August.
1. WWI, Private Frank Lyman Dunnell, Jr:
Frank was born 21 December 1892 in Buffalo, New York and later enlisted for service in World War I on 27 July 1917. Assigned as an Infantryman with Fox Company, 107th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division, Frank was wounded on 02 October 1918 as his unit encountered fierce resistance and heavy fighting during the Somme Offensive, which was the allied forces attempt to pierce the German’s Hindenburg defensive line. His medal was discovered at the Bank of New York many years ago and will be returned to his Great-Niece, Mrs. Carlson of Burlington, Vermont.
2. WWII, Sergeant George W. Roles:
George was born 10 April 1921 to George G. and Vera A. Meade Roles in Edna, Kansas. He later enlisted for service in the U.S. Army on 08 September 1942 and was assigned to the 134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division. On 14 July 1944, his unit received orders to attack the town of St. Lo, France. The Germans showed stubborn resistance and a thorough knowledge of defensive tactics, and repeated enemy counter-attacks throughout the battle. It was during this intense fighting that SGT Roles lost his life the next day on 15 July. George was survived by his wife Pauline Freeman and a 2-month-old son, George Nicholas, whom he had never seen. His medal was recently discovered in a home in California and will be returned to his son, Mr. Nick Geasland of San Diego, CA
3. WWII, 1st Lieutenant Brian Woolley Flavelle:
Brian was born in 1914 in Essex County, New Jersey. After receiving a degree and commission from the University of Oregon, he enlisted into the U.S. Army Air Corps on 14 July 1941. Trained as a B-24 Bomber Pilot, he was assigned to the 512th Bomber Squadron, 376th Bomber Group (Heavy). On 01 August 1943, Brian and his crew of the “Wongo Wongo” were tasked to participate in one of the most daring raids of World War II, Operation Tidal Wave. The mission was the costliest in Air Force history and was the second worst loss ever suffered by the Air Force on a single mission, now referred to as “Black Sunday”. His medal was recently discovered in Oregon and will be returned to his two nephews, Ande & Brian Flavelle of Caldwell, NJ and Watsonville, CA.
4. WWII, Staff Sergeant Bernard Eldon Snow:
Bernard was born 07 March 1924 in Santa Barbara, California to Beverly Bernard and Violet Lee Twitchell Snow. He later enlisted into the U.S. Army Air Corps on 06 October 1942 and served as a B-17 Ball Turret Gunner with the 366th Bomber Squadron, 305th Bomber Group. On 14 October 1943, his B-17 (#42-3549) nick-named “Mr. Jones”, was shot down by a German fighter near Hoorn, Holland. He would spend the rest of the war in the German Prisoner of War Camp Stalag 17-B. His Purple Heart was discovered in a Jewelry shop in California and will be reunited with his Daughter, Mrs. Rebecca Crofts from Superior, Wisconsin.
5. WWII, Private Dan Lyle Feragen:
Dan was born 07 October 1921 in Carlyle, Montana to Johannes A. and Caroline Hartse Feragen. He would later enlist into the U.S. Army on 18 January 1941 and was assigned to Service Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. While fighting in the Philippines, his entire unit was captured and force marched over 60 miles in over 110 degree heat with no food or water to Prisoner of War Camp O’Donnell, which is now known as the Bataan Death March. Dan would survive the march, but due to mistreatment at the hands of his captures, he died inside the camp on 17 June 1942. He was buried in an un-marked grave and later identified in 1948. Unfortunately, his parents died previously and never knew their son was found. Because of this, a Purple Heart was never issued to his family. Receiving his medal for the first time will be his nephew and namesake, Mr. Lyle Feragen.
6. Korea, PFC Jack Carl Kighlinger:
Jack was born on 02 August 1928 in Franklin, Pennsylvania. He later enlisted for service in the United States Marine Corps on 16 July 1950 and served with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. While fighting near the Soyang River in South Korea, he was killed in action on 29 May 1951. His medal was found in the 1970s by U.S. Army Veteran Staff Sergeant Kevin Coady. He has been searching for the family ever since and will return Jack’s medal to his great-niece, Mrs. Bernadine Ridgeway of Marysville, California.
7. Vietnam, PFC Andrew Thomas Calhoun:
Andrew was born 02 August 1948 and enlisted into the U.S. Army on 14 September 1966. Assigned as an Infantryman with 3rd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Division in Vietnam, Andrew was wounded in action on 16 March 1968. After the war, he worked as a Chesapeake Police Officer in the SWAT division and was unfortunately killed in the line of duty when his aircraft crashed into a lake. His medals were recently discovered in Arizona and will be returned to his Son, Mr. Calhoun of Chesapeake, Virginia.
8. Iraq, Daniel Swift:
On 29 November 2004, an armored Humvee carrying FDNY member Sergeant Chris Engledrum; Specialist Wilfred Urbina, also a firefighter, and another FDNY member, Daniel Swift of Ladder 43, along with three other soldiers were hit by an improvised explosive device. Both Chris and Wilfred were killed. As a Combat Medic with Company A of the 69th Infantry Regiment, Daniel quickly rushed to save the lives of his fellow comrades despite suffering injuries in the incident and battling heavy fire. For his heroics, he was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor and the Purple Heart. After his award presentation, his medals were misplaced and never recovered. He will be honored at the ceremony and presented with a new full set of his medals to symbolize his service to our country.
Travel expenses for each family is being covered by the organization. A fundraising benefit will be held directly following the event where members of the community will be able to the meet these families, learn more about the organizations mission, and support the safe journey home of several more Purple Hearts that will be on display.
This event would not be possible without the generous help and support from the United War Veterans Council, the Daughters of the American Revolution Knickerbocker Chapter, and the New York City Fire Department.
Zachariah Fike, founder of Purple Hearts ReunitedThe original Purple Heart, designated as the Badge of Military Merit, was established by George Washington – then the commander- in-chief of the Continental Army – by order from his Newburgh, New York headquarters on August 7, 1782. The Badge of Military Merit was only awarded to three Revolutionary War soldiers by Gen. George Washington himself. General Washington authorized his subordinate officers to issue Badges of Merit as appropriate.
From then on, as its legend grew, so did its appearance. Although never abolished, the award of the badge was not proposed again officially until after World War I. General Douglas MacArthur, confidentially reopened work of a new design and by Executive Order of the President of the United States, the Purple Heart was revived on the 200th Anniversary of George Washington's birth, out of respect to his memory and military achievements, by War Department General Order No. 3, dated February 22, 1932.
Today, the Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after April 5, 1917.
An estimated 1.8 Million Purple Hearts have been awarded in our nation’s history. Today, in addition to being awarded to those who fight overseas, the Purple Heart is also given to military personal who display bravery and valor as prisoners of war and while fighting certain types of domestic terrorist.
Purple Hearts Reunited, a Commemorative Partner of the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission, is a nonprofit foundation that returns medals of valor to veterans or their families in order to honor their sacrifice to the nation. Since its beginning, the organization has returned over 350 lost medals, traveled over 100,000 miles, visited over 42 States, and has directly affected the lives of over 100,000 people. They were also recently highlighted on the popular History Channel Show American Pickers.